Rudy, the Easter Dog

Who says dogs don't go to heaven? Mine will. He even attended church on Easter Sunday.

Yep, he was even a greeter. Not a bad deal. I think half of the congregation got licked, literally licked by Rudy.

Picture it. Candace in her best Easter frock. Ok, It was pants and a cardigan, but when you are working the preschool area on Easter you gotta be ready. Anyway, I am pulling into the church for the early service. My inlaws and sister-in-law were in town but stayed behind to bring the little ones for the later service. As I pulled in ready for a wonderful service, I get the phone call.

"Candace, this is Russ"

"Rudy is bleeding from a quite sensitive area"

The brakes go on and I go back home, change into jeans, long sleeve black t-shirt and tennis shoes to whisk Rudy to the ER.

Those are the kinds of things you wait until later to tell your husband about. Like later, after you get the ER bill...

I walked in (Rudy is wagging his tail the whole time) and told them it was en emergency. They looked at me as if to say, "Duh, these are all emergencies, that's why it's the Animal ER"... Of course the patient didn't look convincing so I got the good news that it would be 2-4 HOURS...

I wanted to remind them what I thought ER meant, with a big focus on the word EMERGENCY.

So, I did what any pet owner would do, I waited. I called our vet - of course they were in church, keeping the nursery as all good vets do.

Anyway, to make a very long story a little shorter. I started talking in the waiting room to everyone, trying to explain that we would have to have church in there. I talked to a woman about adoption, she had given up a child to adoption 25 years earlier and we had a wonderful, tearful talk. We all had a good time in that room, well, everyone except the animals, including a constipated cat...

Rudy actually got called back in about 30 minutes. I had to sit and listen to the vet (who couldn't keep a straight face) tell me what Rudy's problem was in "that sensitive area". I told him I was just glad that I didn't really know him because I was pretty much humiliated.

I didn't have time to go home and change, preschool nursery was calling! I rushed my extremely casual Easter frock and Rudy to church. I threw his leash to a youth kid and told him to have fun and that Rudy was friendly. He as a little shocked and I just hoped he wasn't allergic to dogs.

I made nursery time. Sweaty armpits and all. After all it was climbing into the high 80's and I looked like I was going to a camp out in TN in November.

So, that was the day Rudy went to church. I love my dog, but that was about too much for even me. Of course as I write this, he looks at me and all I can think of is how I am going to get him to church on a regular basis....